


White Hydrangea

by YaminoTenshi202



Series: Hydrangea [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Character Study, F/M, Galra Biology, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Mental Instability, Multi, Multilingual Characters, Seasons 1 and 2 Parallel, Wanderlust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaminoTenshi202/pseuds/YaminoTenshi202
Summary: Lance had never expected to be adopted by a mechanical Blue Lion when they had finished orientation at the Garrison. He also didn't expect to meet a beautiful alien with magical powers, but what the Hell? He also didn't expect to be with his best friends, piloting mechanical Lions alongside his childhood hero nor his snarky, kind of creepy rival.At least he could talk to Coran about all this nonsense. If only he could just keep up with what the guy was saying.-The Voltron Series, but with several major changes, that being a brooding Lance, a creepy Keith, a very soft Hunk, cold Pidge, and Shiro trying to manage all these kids while struggling to grow himself





	1. The Faces We Know

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU branching off of my first Voltron fic, Oasis. You can read without reading Oasis. The ones that must be read in order are the Hydrangea fics, the first being White Hydrangea.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance thinks about his rival, his brother, and his hero.

Lance threw his jacket onto his bed, exhaling loudly. It had been another several weeks of orientation to life at the Galaxy Garrison and to reorient all cadets to the life that they would be apart of. However, after their first simulation, he was finding himself at the familiar wall that had built itself up at the end of each year at the Garrison. Commander Iverson immediately called him cocky, irresponsible, not a team member.

What was worse, was that Keith wasn’t even here anymore so that Lance could blame him out of spite.

They had both been pilots, with Lance being Keith’s cargo pilot, a support. Despite Lance’s constant practicing, he hardly excelled in the eyes of the instructors (though there were no more spots in the fighter pilot course), and soon, Keith was well on his way to being the next acclaimed fighter pilot of the Garrison, right after Takashi Shirogane. What pissed Lance off even more was that the two seemed to know each other so well.

Lance had felt his heart soar when he was accepted to Fighter Class, only to find that Keith had left the Garrison. Lance had become the replacement for one of the best pilots that the Garrison had ever had, and he was a mediocre one, something that Commander Iverson hadn’t failed to tell everyone today after simulation.

He looked over to his desk. A photo of his family stared back at him, bright smiles on their faces, with him standing in the center.

It hurt to be far away from them, but his favorite brother (do not tell Marco or Luis who it was, they would probably yell at him for choosing favorites) was with him, at least in spirit.

“ _Guapo_ , what the hell am I doing here?” he asked, trying to relax and forget the anger and disappointment in Iverson’s face. It wasn’t Lance’s fault that Keith had the advantages. He lived at the Garrison all year long, having access to the simulators, and even trained with Shiro whenever the officer had time. Shiro had hand-plucked him from a local school after meeting him and Keith was actually listed as Shiro’s charge. Keith had Shiro as a guardian, giving him immunity.

Perhaps that’s why Keith left the Garrison. Shiro wasn’t around to protect him from retaliation anymore.

Lance and Keith had gotten in many fights, though none of them physical. Keith’s punches were reserved for other students that were actual assholes, like James Griffin. Shiro had stepped in every time there was a fight, and every time, Keith got off with the most minor of punishments. Lance had been in his share of fights, but Keith - as quiet, as nice, as soft as he could sometimes be, like when Lance had gotten way too drunk and Keith had essentially nursed him in secret, as Keith was one of the few cadets who had a private room - was terrifying in a fight.

He moved like an animal, teeth always bared and tongue silver, ready to speak harsh words, sometimes true, at his opponent. Some words that he’d thrown at Lance’s way were hurtful, but he’d heard some of the things that Keith had said towards Griffin, Keghan, Vavrovsky, and others that had tried to attack Keith. They were things that Keith had to have found out by stalking them, maybe using Shiro’s resources, to find out. He’d never known that Griffin had a sister, until Lance had heard Keith talk about how cute Kimberly was, and how sad was it that she was in the hospital? Vavrovsky was here on scholarship, just like Keith and Lance, but Lance had seen Vavrosky cheat on assignments before, his only merit being his engineering skills. It was Keith that found out that Vavrovsky was also using illegal resources for cheating on examinations, which got Vavrovsky expelled. Keghan… Poor Keghan; Lance didn’t like to think about what Keith had said about Keghan.

Keith was creepy, and somehow Shiro put up with him.

Lance used to look for Shiro all the time, just to get a closer look at the man that he’d idolized since he was ten years old. Even if they were only eight years apart, they were eight years of experience and training that Lance could only hope to see one day. Despite Lance’s attempts to find a moment to talk with Shiro alone, he’d usually be with his fiance, instructor Adam Wheeler, or with Keith.

He’d managed one time, and it only made Lance want to spend more time with his hero. He didn’t think that it would have been the last time as well.

* * *

“Officer Shirogane?” Shiro had turned around from the engine that he was examining on his hoverbike, smiling.

“Hello, cadet, and you can just call me Shiro.” Lance smiled brightly, his body relaxing.

“Hello, Shiro.” Shiro nodded.

“You’re Lance, right?” Lance nodded, trying to not seem so excited that Shiro - the man who had graced his bedroom walls, alongside Selena, Beyonce, and Camilo Sesto - knew of him. “Keith’s mentioned you. You’re a good pilot.”

“I-I am?”

Shiro nodded, going on, “I was there with you and Keith during your first simulation seminar. You have a good head on your shoulders. From what Keith says, you know how to stay cool under pressure.”

“I try to,” Lance had admitted. He did try his best to stay calm, not wanting to freak the man out with his excitement.

“You’re going on the Kerberos mission then?”

“I am…” Shiro kept his eyes on the vehicle above them, a model of one of the Apollo shuttles. “I always wanted to see how far I could go, so why not the edge of the solar system?”

“Are you scared?”

Shiro laughed, something that made Lance’s heart skip, “Actually, I’m terrified. The thrill is the same. I love the adrenaline during lift-off, the momentary weightlessness as we begin to drop off extra weight and the rockets fire again… I guess overcoming the fear makes the pay-off worth it. Everytime I go up, break through the atmosphere, and I see the stars… I can’t help falling in love with it all.”

Lance nodded at that. Shiro could die during any mission, as accidents happen and malfunctions could always occur. To err is human, surely. Here, Lance was at sixteen years old, and he was scared about making it to next year’s Garrison orientation without being a burden on his parents’ wallet. His older sister, a graduate, was part of Communications and Informatics, a valuable part of the team, so she could manage her own charges. All of his siblings could, but Lance didn’t have any skills yet. He was useless.

“Are you scared, Lance?”

“Um…” Lance looked over to the model, watching it hang over his head. “I am… I just want to be a good pilot. My parents are paying for me because the scholarships don’t cover everything. All of my siblings pay their own expenses or already have their own families. I just… I want to see space.”

“That’s a good dream. It’s nice, too, that you’re thinking of your parents. Not many kids your age are like that.” Shiro placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“You’ll be a good pilot, Lance. From what I’ve seen and what Keith says, you have the skills there already. Just be more sure of what you’re doing and take any tips where you can get them.”

“Did you have to teach Keith the same thing?”

“No, for him, it was about being patient and waiting for the right time to learn,” Shiro explained, “but that’s not a problem for you.”

“Thanks, Shiro.” Lance looked to Shiro, his eyes trying not to water.

“No problem. When you do become a full-fledged pilot, I’d be honored to fly with you.”

Lance blinked. What did he just hear? He didn’t respond, but he could feel his face get wet.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Shiro said softly.

“No, I just…” Lance whispered, wiping his eyes. “ _Mierda_ … I just… I want to do what you’ve been doing, and you go and tell me something like that.”

“I mean it, Lance. You’ll do great things.” Shiro moved his hand, moving instead to hug Lance. It felt comforting, in a way that Lance hadn’t felt in years.

“Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Then Shiro was gone, and Keith left.

“Lance?”

He turned to the door, hearing a familiar voice.

“I’m coming, Hunk.” Opening the door, Hunk came in with a plate that had Lance already salivating upon sight.

“Snack time, dude,” Hunk offered. Lance reached for the bowl and offered his bed to Hunk. Hunk nodded, talking about how the simulation had been compared to the year prior. Lance hummed at Hunk’s comments, focusing on the _paifala_ that he held in his hand. They reminded him of home, though the _paifala_ were sweetened with pineapple. His mother used to make their _empanadas_ with beef or seafood and some _queso fresco_ , and Hunk could make _paifala_ that way, if with a slightly sweeter touch.

His mother’s _empanadas_ still were the best though, and he swore never to tell Hunk that.

“Iverson really chewed you out, Lance.” Lance frowned at that, swallowing his mouthful of bread and pineapple.

“Hey, he expects everyone to Keith’s standards and skills, but it just doesn’t happen that way.” Lance stuffed the rest of his _paifala_ in his mouth, pouting and continuing, “If we are going to be a good team, I think we need to get closer to Pidge. That kid is such a stick in the mud, if I tried to save him, I would be fossilized in that damn mud.”

“I don’t know, I think that Pidge is just shy and focused on something else.” Hunk began to eat at his own _paifala_ \- good thing he had made plenty - and asked Lance, “You remember his reaction today? When Iverson mentioned the Kerberos mission?”

“Yeah, he was pissed. Do you think that maybe he knew someone on the mission? I don’t think he knew Shiro, and probably not Commander Holt.”

“Maybe he knew Matt Holt? He’s not too much older than us.”

Lance shrugged and grabbed another _paifala_.

“Do you want to ask him? I mean, we might be able to help him out with that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hey, between the two of us, we could figure out something about the mission. Pidge works Communication; they can probably hack into the system, and we can figure out the engineering and mechanics as to what could have happened.”

Hunk smiled, holding up his hand for a high-five. Lance didn’t disappoint.

* * *

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Okay… Lance sighed at Pidge’s stubbornness, watching as the younger student proceeded to read into a book of quantum mechanics in relation to informatics and ignored Lance and Hunk. It was dinnertime, and they had managed to get a smaller table just to the three of them.

“Pidge-”

“Whatever’s bothering you, Pidge-” Hunk interjected, cutting Lance off from whatever response he was preparing, “you can talk to us about it whenever you want. We’ll be here for you. If you never want to tell us, that’s fine, too. Just know that we’re here, okay?”

Pidge looked up from the book and looked over at Hunk, eyes a bit softer.

“... Thanks. Maybe I do have something to say, but I can’t. Not yet.”

“Take all the time you need, man,” Lance said, smiling and feeling his smile grow wider when Pidge smiled back. Well, that was one step towards team-bonding. Perhaps he could think of another…

-

The plaque was something that stood out to them, now that they were older and just a tiny bit wiser. It had pressed reality into place, letting the students know that they are not students, truly. They are soldiers, cadets being taught to fulfill their missions within the smallest margin of error.

It catches Lance’s eye every time they pass it. As they walk back towards the barracks, he stops to read, with Hunk stopping right next to him. Several names were there, but one was there, written twice and in the way that the man’s grandparents had wanted. There it stared back at them from the memorial plaque:

白金江詩

_Shirogane, Takashi_

“I wonder what he was thinking about… when the mission ended.”

Lance shrugged. It didn’t matter what Shiro thought; Shiro did what he wanted, and Shiro was happy. Maybe Lance could take a page out of Shiro's book.

* * *

“No. No way.”

“Come on, we’ve snuck out before, Hunk!”

“But that’s you! You’re the one that sneaks out! You think that I can lie my way back into their good graces if I get caught up in something bad if I get caught! My mother would kill me!”

“Come on, Hunk, we have to find Pidge.”

“We shouldn't be doing this.”

“You heard Commander Iverson. We need to bond as a team. We're going to grab Pidge, hit the town, loosen up, meet some nice girls--”

“I'm just saying this here, right now, on the record. This is a bad idea.”

“You know, for someone in a space exploration program, you don't have much of a sense of adventure.”

“All of your little adventures end up with me in the principal's office.”

The lights began to turn off around them. Lance turned around, ready to throw a comeback at Hunk but he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye.

"What- Was that Pidge?" he heard Hunk whisper. Lance smiled.

"See? There's a guy with a sense of adventure."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter, and Lance in general, was influenced by the video "Copycat (A Red Paladin Lance Animatic)" by Raiyakun!  
> ** This story does not follow the video. It just gave me a lot of feelings about my blue boy ;-;  
> ** One of the images from this animatic will show up later.


	2. The Things We Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets someone that he missed and someone that he never thought he'd see again; he'd never forget either one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 February 2019: Finally, I have finished this! I admit, I work on a lot of this when I'm at work, probably because I'm under the stress of my job and I feel like I must work on this to relax. I was going to finish this yesterday, 1 February, but work left me dead and so terribly busy...
> 
> ... and a new fandom has caught my eye. How dare I.

Chirps were familiar, and the beeps and data patterns were familiar. There was more and more noise that needed to be deciphered, but all of the data continued to flood in at an alarming rate.

"More than before..." Pidge muttered, trying to write down coordinates as fast as they could, trying to keep up. There were patterns that continued to appear, the same as the ones that they had recorded before. Some words made it through the headphones, Pidge's fingers rapidly jotting down the words. After they managed to get part of a conversation, Pidge looked down. They let the words come over their lips, trying to figure this-

"You come up here to rock out?"

Pidge cried out, turning around. They saw two familiar faces and cursed softly. "Lance, Hunk... No, just looking at the stars."

Lance and Hunk began to look at everything that sat there, commenting on how different it looked from their equipment. Pidge smiled.

"I made all of this. I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system."

"All the way to Kerberos?" Lance asked. Pidge sighed. Lance pretended not to notice many things, especially things that could cause conflict, but he was in tune with people. When they didn't answer, Lance sighed, placing a hand on their shoulder and saying, "Look, Pidge, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets."

"... All right. Everything you know is about to change. I've been trying to get any messages from Kerberos with this, but I've gotten some alien chatter on my hands."

"And you understand it?"

"From what I could hear in the communications, there are universal translators that are used by many species up there. Anyway, I've tried to figure out why they're near Kerberos, since we've never detected alien life in our solar system before this. Right now, they're communicating way more than I've ever heard. They're talking about something named 'Voltron'-"

“Guys, what is that?”

At Hunk's outburst, Lance grabbed binoculars from Pidge, looking at the object coming through the atmosphere. Just upon seeing it, Lance couldn’t recognize any of the design coming from any aircraft that he’d seen before.

“Holy crow! That is not one of ours!" Lance led the three of them down closer as the staff of the Garrison made their way to the crash site and set up a temporary laboratory. It took them a while to walk, but in that time, the laboratory was already setup and guarded. Pidge grabbed one of the camera feeds with their computer and gasped.

"What's wrong, Pidge?"

"Is that Shiro?"

Lance jumped up at the name. "The pilot of the Kerberos Mission! That guy's my hero!"

"Guess he's not dead in space, after all," Hunk murmured.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Pidge tried to clear up some of the audio, filtering out specific Hertz and decibels ranges that wouldn't be decipherable.

" _Do you know how long you've been gone?_ " Iverson asked Shiro, face twisted in a grimace of concern.

" _I don't know. Months? Years? Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us. We have to find Voltron_."

"Voltron?"

"We need to get down there," Lance said firmly. The light in his eyes was more focused than Pidge had ever seen.

“What we need is a distraction.”

They barely had a moment to think any further before they heard several explosions around the facility. Four went off in quick succession, too coordinated to have been random or by a novice.

“Is that the aliens? Is that the aliens? Are they here? They got here so quick!” Hunk could spot Professor Montgomery headed into his car, joining more personnel as they went to investigate the source of the bombs.

“No, those explosions were a distraction, for him.” Pidge could see someone running towards the small facility, having settled their hoverbike behind some large boulders. They were being careful, hiding and making sure that none of the personnel inside could spot him. Lance looked through the binoculars and saw the most familiar figure-

“No way! Oh, he is not going to beat us in there! That guy is always trying to one-up me!” Lance tossed the binoculars in Pidge’s direction, running along the side of their perch and spotting a place where they could climb down.

“Who is it?”

“Keith!”

“Who?” Pidge was new this year; of course, they didn’t know who Keith was.

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, I'd recognize that mullet anywhere!” Lance didn’t know if that was weird or not.

“Who's Keith?”

They would really have to bring Pidge up to speed.

* * *

He had jumped off of his hoverbike the moment that he knew it would come to a halt. He swiped his keys out of the ignition and adjusted his bandanna one more time, making sure that his face was covered. The dust from the bombs he had made was beginning to blow towards the makeshift lab and him, his face luckily covered to help him breathe. He wandered quietly through the hallway, trying to make as little noise as possible.

The signs had pointed him here, to this spot at this time. How amazing was it that he had read everything not only correctly but also so precisely? Wandering through the hallway, he could feel his heartbeat in his ears.

“These readings are off the chart.”

His eyes looked around the lab from where he had hidden himself. There was a man on the table, one that seemed familiar. He tried to lean closer, but he heard something behind him shift. It was a person, one that moved into a defensive stance.

They were too slow for him.

“Hey!” came a new voice, another one of the scientists leaning over their hostage. He stared them down with grey-violent eyes, and he tossed every single scientist there against their equipment, the walls, anywhere but near the new man on the table.

He smelt of starlight. It was strange, but that was surely what the stranger smelt like. Starlight. New paint without the harshness of chemicals and the soft puff of aerosol. It was familiar… almost like home. He approached the stranger and turned his face so that they would face each other.

“Shiro?”

No.

No, no, no, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Shiro wasn’t some hostage for the Garrison. As he tried to steady himself, re-orient himself to the surroundings of the makeshift lab, he took his knife and cut through the straps that held Shiro down to the table. It was almost ludicrous, having a man unconscious and tied down, but he understood the logic.

As he lifted Shiro up, he ignored the swirl of delight in his belly. Shiro was back, and he would make Shiro stay this time-

“No, no, no, you don’t. I’m saving Shiro!”

That face. That man. He knew this person. Looking to the entrance, he realized he knew the three intruders that had come to the lab, especially the loud one. He, however, was somewhat thrown off; why were they here?

“Um, who are you?” He watched as the loud one put Shiro’s metallic arm over their shoulders.

“Uh, the name’s Lance.”

He stared. He knew those eyes, those pretty eyes, and he could scarcely believe that he was seeing them again. How could he forget?

“We were in the same class at the Garrison.”

“Oh,” he said on instinct. He should have been talking! Trying to recover, he ask, “Really? Are you an engineer?”

As if Lance would have been so crass as to sully his pretty fingers with metal and oil.

“No, I'm a pilot! We were, like, rivals.” Is that what Lance called it? “You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck.”

“Oh, wait. I remember you.” Lance looked pretty when exasperated. Keith decided to keep going, to see that face. “You're a cargo pilot.”

“Well, not anymore. I'm fighter class now, thanks to you washing out.”

That was rude.

“Well, congratulations.”

“Oh, man.” Hunk put the girl behind his back, trying to keep her from the guards outside. The surveillance footage showed them returning from Keith’s carefully placed bombs. “They're coming back and they do not look happy. We've got to go.”

Keith took a breath, shifting his grip on Shiro. Lance did the same and together they moved Shiro out of the facility. The girl - she seemed familiar - was typing something on her laptop and hurriedly packing it into her rucksack. Hunk ran out, making sure that she got on.

“Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you?” Hunk’s eyes were desperate.

Keith felt his body startle as Hunk got onto the back of the hoverbike, the weight at its tail now a possible hindrance to their escape. He handed Shiro to Lance, who the girl helped. Shiro would be right behind Keith, supported by the girl. Lance would be on the right wing of the bike. “Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?”

“No.” Keith prayed as he started the bike. It started wonderfully, but its propulsion systems were compensating for Hunk’s added weight at the tail end and the greater weight of all five of them. Leaning into the bike, Keith felt his body adjust and he knew that he could fly them out of there.

Keith felt the excitement of feeling the wind in his face, but it was overshadowed by the worry of Shiro, Lance, Hunk, and the girl - Keith could swear that he had met her before - on his bike. The Garrison wouldn’t be afraid to use firepower if they found it necessary. He just hoped that everyone could keep an eye on Shiro-

“Why am I holding this guy?”

“Hey, we did all fit.”

“Can't this thing go any faster?”

No, scratch that. Keith was ready to throw something at his passengers.

"We could toss out some non-essential weight." He meant everyone in the back, pragmatic in saying that. Of course, that would defeat the entire purpose of following the energy he felt to the facility, but Keith was getting annoyed. Of course they were going to be slower; Keith hadn't thought to get his dad's pick-up, thinking of speed and not expecting to find Shiro, Lance, Hunk, and - oh, he remembered who that girl was. He'd get back to that thought.

"Oh, right!" Lance responded to him, trying to be helpful, before growing a bit less excited. "Okay, so that was an insult. I get it."

Keith could hear the engines behind them, growing closer. He could hear one approaching closer on his right.

"Big man, lean left!"

Everyone cried out, and Hunk mentioned something about two instructors crashing their vehicles into each other. Keith did the same, giving an order to Hunk to lean right, and they were able to avoid being caught a second time.

Keith piloted over familiar slopes, flying over known gaps and crags. As they made a turn, Keith heard another crash, with only one determined vehicle behind them.

"Guys? Is that a cliff up ahead?" Keith spotted the cliff, and he smiled.

"Oh, no, no, no!"

"Yup." Keith sped up, and he would lie later about not enjoying everyone's screams as they flew down the side of the cliff.

"What are you doing?!"

"Shut up and trust me, Lance!" Keith felt the familiar drop, counting the seconds and watching their descent. At a certain point, his body urged him to start in the air again. His hoverbike roared to life and they stopped in the air, dust flying around them as they stayed above the ground and made their way into the desert.

"Holy shit!"

"Keith, that was insane!" Hunk was probably chipping at the paint now, if the sound of screeching was anything to go by.

* * *

“Here,” Keith offered. He was holding out some blankets to Hunk, the girl, and Lance. He had already tucked in Shiro, with Lance’s help, with some blankets on one of the couches in his little shack. Hunk was sitting with the little girl, tucking her against him as she dozed into sleep. Lance was stretching, offering to make something warm to drink.

“There’s a burner over there on the counter. What are you planning on making?”

“Do you like hot chocolate?”

Keith nodded, grabbing the familiar yellow box with hard chocolate slabs that he usually used. Handing it to Lance, that and the bottle of milk that he had just gotten the other day from his little fridge, he didn’t think that Lance would smile as he did, longing.

“What?”

“ _Abuelita_ chocolate.”

Keith blinked at that. “It’s the only hot chocolate I buy.”

“Do you even know what it means?”

Keith sighed, closing his eyes and taking in a slow, deep breath.

“ _Estamos en Arizona, Lance. Sería ilógico y una vergüenza que no hablara español_.”

Lance turned pale, and Keith had to make sure that he laughed quietly as he pulled out a pan to get the water heated for the chocolate.

“ _Dame el chocolate_ ,” he ordered gently once the water was simmering. He watched Lance grab the half-tablet of chocolate that Keith had at the very top of the box, handing it to Keith. Lance stepped forward with a spoon to start crushing the chocolate when it was soft enough.

“Where’d you learn Spanish?”

“My dad got a lot of movies for me when I was younger. A lot of them were in Spanish, so I learned on my own. Like I said, it doesn't make sense to live here without knowing Spanish.”

“Really?” Lance smiled, poking at the chocolate that was quickly getting mashable. He continued, “Your accent is nice.”

“I go down to the  _barrios_ a lot in a few of the towns around here. The only thing that really throws me off anymore is the different slang that I have to juggle from region to region. I say  _concha_ somewhere, and then I’m stared at like a lunatic.”

Lance giggled at that.

Keith stared at the pot of water, now rich and slightly thickened with chocolate. Lance poured in the milk, humming a song that Keith had heard a long time ago. He hadn’t heard it in years, though. Keith tried not to think about it.

“Why do you think they were like that to Shiro?”

Lance was looking at the hot chocolate when he asked. Keith shrugged.

“I don’t know. They shouldn’t have.”

“I mean, he’s a hero! Everyone knows who he is, so…” Lance sighed, a frown settling on his face that Keith didn’t quite like.

“Let’s just wait for him to wake up. No use worrying about it now that we got him out of there.”

Lance nodded, turning off the burner just a few minutes later. He grabbed a ladle that hung on the wall. Keith found two mugs in his cupboard and handed them over to Lance as he poured them some.

“ _Gracias._ ”

“ _De nada_.”

Keith sat on the sofa by Shiro’s feet, Lance sitting on the girl’s other side, which was close to Keith.

“How long have you been out here?”

“Since I got kicked out of the Garrison.”

“... Why did they kick you out?”

Keith sipped from his mug, trying not to burn his mouth.

“Keghan.”

Lance took a quick drink of his hot chocolate, hissing as he burned himself, but he took another drink right away.

“Does that bother you?”

“Why did you do that to him?”

Keith placed his hot chocolate on the table, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs. His hands were limp, hanging down.

“He deserved it.”

Lance stared at Keith for a long while. Keith didn't bother to explain, letting the night slowly turn to dawn in silence.

Lance finished his hot chocolate and settled in for a nap.

Keith stayed awake, watching over all of them.

* * *

5:52.

That was what the clock said when Keith looked at it again. It had been 3:14 when he had last looked. Three hours wasn’t so bad for his sleep schedule. He looked over to Lance and his friends, who were all cuddling into one another.

Keith looked over to Shiro who was finally stirring from sleep.

“Shiro?”

Shiro blinked up at Keith, the younger man standing over Shiro with a neutral (as neutral as Keith could make himself feel) look on his face.

“... Keith?”

He tried to keep himself from moving too quickly, Keith leaning in to hug Shiro. For a moment, both of their bodies grew tense. It left a hot stone of fear and anger in his belly. Who had hurt Shiro? His Shiro didn’t have a scar on his face, no metallic arm, and he  didn’t have that white section of hair. His Shiro didn’t have the scents of death and suspicion imbedded in his skin.

Shiro relaxed only a moment later, his arms wrapping loosely around Keith. The breath that Keith was holding wrenched itself from his lungs, and he felt his eyes burn with tears.

He was on Earth. He was home.

Shiro was here. Shiro was  _here._

Their heartbeats were skipping, both jubilant to see the other again.

“I thought… I gave up on coming back home.”

Keith moved from Shiro slightly, pressing a kiss to Shiro’s forehead and smelling the new lock of hair that had been turned white. It smelt of smoke and adrenaline.

“Taka- _chan_ , I prayed so much that you would come home. I-I didn’t want to believe that you were gone.”

“Ko- _kun_.” Shiro pressed a hand to the back of Keith’s head, pressing their foreheads together. They stayed that way for a moment before Keith pulled back.

“How’d you get me from the Garrison?”

“I had some help,” Keith explained, gesturing to the adjacent couch. Shiro, sitting up, saw the three teenagers that were all cuddled into one another, smiling.

“Glad you made some friends.”

“... Sure, why not?” Keith walked over to the counter, where a pan was sitting. Shiro watched as Keith heated up whatever was there, letting the metal coils glow orange. Shiro thanked him with a nod when Keith returned with a bottle of water. His stomach was churning; with anxiety or hunger, he couldn’t tell anymore, but the water went down well, at least.

“Can you eat?” Keith looked Shiro over, in the same way that Shiro had looked Keith over after a fight. Keith had used to do the same when Keith had begun to live with Shiro and his grandparents, always wary, cautious, as if approaching a wounded animal.

“I think I can.” Keith nodded, going back to the counter a few minutes later. He poured whatever was there into a mug and brought it over to Shiro. He advised some caution, “I don’t want you to burn yourself.”

“Thanks,” Shiro murmured, smelling Mexican chocolate and letting it remind him of home. Keith always got it whenever Grandmother Shiori would take him along for errands, keeping a good stock of it in the cupboards at all times. Shiro blew at the weak steam and took a sip.

“God, I missed this.” He drank slowly, small sips refreshing his mouth, but quickly enough that his stomach was soon sated with the taste of milk and sugar.

“I’m glad you remember,” Keith muttered. Shiro sighed. Ever since they moved to the Garrison, as Keith qualified for boarding due to his circumstances, they hadn’t gotten to enjoy their drink very often. In the year before Shiro left, Keith hadn’t gotten a chance to make it at all.

“Did they have any?”

“Lance and I did.” Keith looked to the clock, which Shiro found himself staring at.

Red numbers, not violet or white light.

6:12.

“Is it morning?”

“Yeah,” Keith confirmed. He grabbed his red coat, one that Shiro had found in his parents’ possessions from their old guestroom and had given to Keith before he left for Kerberos.

“I’m gonna go get some food-”

“How long has it been?”

Keith sighed.

“They said announced that your mission was a failure a year ago, so it’s been fourteen, fifteen months.”

“I missed your birthday.”

Keith’s eyes were wide, longing, so much like his eyes when he had first met Shiro.  They were pained, but they looked older than how Shiro had left them.

“It’s okay. We can celebrate it this year.”

Shiro nodded, and he stood up, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder. It felt good just to be able to touch his brother again, just to know that he was real.

“I’ll have another mug of cocoa.”

“You might have to make more,” Keith warned, “There’s a bottle of milk in the fridge. Chocolate’s in the cabinet.”

“I thought you were lactose intolerant. We always used soy milk for you at home.”

“I take lactose-digesting pills. It helps me eat ice cream, at least.” Keith smiled back at Shiro over his shoulder. “Do you want anything from the store, Shiro- _kun_?”

“Can you see if they have  _miso_?”

Keith nodded, saying that he’d be back soon.

“Hey, Keith.”

Keith turned back to him.

“Just Shiro is okay.”

Keith nodded again and left.

Shiro poured himself another mug of hot chocolate once he had made another pot. He looked around the shack, wondering where on Earth they were. Aside from the three teachers, everything screamed Keith to him. There were sticky notes everywhere, with messages written. He spotted song lyrics around the counter and on one of the bookshelves. He saw words from Elvis and Cab Calloway, words from so long ago that they were old when Shiro’s grandparents were young.

There were also prayers everywhere, ones that Shiro recognized and ones that Keith must have thought of on his own.

His hot chocolate was soon gone, and he sat back down on the couch, sighing and soon slipping off to sleep again.

* * *

His arm - gone - everything hurt - why was he awake - was being awake better than sleeping?

What did those monsters do to him in his sleep?

Puncture scars were decorating his thighs, as if needles had been shot into his bones.

“Shiro?”

Don’t call him, don’t call him.

“Shiro!”

“Is he okay?!”

Go away! Take the pain away!

“ _Okite_ , Shiro!”

Shiro woke up from a nightmare that had left him without memories of it again. He groaned, trying to shake away the fear that was nestling into his marrow. Keith’s eyes were looking him over, examining for any wound or threat that would have made Shiro so frightened. Shiro shook his head, wiping away his sweat.

“Here, have some water.”

Shiro reached out -  _why was he so thirsty?_ \- and shivered as the coolness of a glass graced his fingers. He held on tightly, trying to keep his metal arm by his side. He remembered that his arm was taken away but nothing after.

“W-What time is it?”

“Um, 6:40,” one of Keith’s guests said. He walked over with a sweet bread that Keith probably got from the store. “We woke up a bit ago and ate. Here, you might feel better if you eat.”

“Thank you.” Shiro ate the bread, sighing after he washed it down with a bit more water. “... Is everyone awake?”

“Yeah.” Keith placed a hand on Shiro’s right shoulder. Something about it was grounding about the touch, and it was hard not to lean into it.

“I’m going to go outside for a bit, just to clear my head.”

“Sure.”

Shiro stood, stopping when he saw a disposable cup with a lid on it. Keith followed his line of sight.

"It's  _miso_ ," Keith said simply. Shiro smiled.

He was home.

* * *

When Shiro went outside, Lance let out a loud sigh.

"What, Lance?" Keith handed him and the others some water bottles.

"Dude, this is crazy."

Hunk nodded, asking, "Where are we exactly?"

"It's a shack in the middle of the desert. We're about an hour out from the Garrison."

"Wait, first of all, who the Hell are you? How do you know Shiro?" Pidge still hadn't finished off the weird flour-cheese patty that Keith had given to them when they had asked if there was anything with cheese.

"Yeah, dude. How do you know Shiro?" Lance sat up, grabbing another one of the flour-cheese patty from the table and putting cabbage on it.

"How about you just eat your  _pupusa_ and-"

"Poo-poo-sa?" Pidge asked, confused. Hunk covered his mouth, holding back a chuckle.

"What you're eating. It's called a  _pupusa_ ," Keith said, following Lance's example and eating the now-garnished  _pupusa_. "And I've known Shiro since I was a kid."

"Really?" Hunk smiled, biting into an  _empanada_. "Wow, these are good- Was the Garrison Youth Seminar the first time you guys met?"

Keith nodded.

"Shiro is the one who invited me to the Seminar. I'm just a pilot."

Pidge hummed, taking a bite of their  _pupusa_ and rummaging through their rucksack. They pulled out a notebook and pen, turning to a new page and starting to scribble.

"Why were you in the desert? I see your communication station - very retro, by the way. Did you hear any transmissions? Any frequencies? Your shack has no obstructions for the night sky; did you see any astronomical abnormalities-"

"Hold on." Keith held up a hand and finished off his breakfast, standing and explaining, "I should get Shiro. He'll need to hear this, but do you guys want me to take you back to the Garrison?"

"What? No!" Pidge put down their food, eyes blazing. "I need to know everything that you know! I need to talk to Shiro about the other members of his crew!"

Keith hummed.

"You're Matt's sister, aren't you?"

"What?!" Lance stared at Pidge, whose eyes widened, their notebook falling to the floor. Lance had never suspected anything. He never saw Pidge any stereotypically girly things, and they didn't do anything hinting at any "lady" issues in the last month that they, Lance, and Hunk had known each other; they were all in the male barracks! 

"Pidge?" Hunk was probably taking it the hardest. He and Pidge had gotten along well since their initial meeting, even having private study sessions over their specialized engineering courses.

"... How did you know?" Pidge's voice was small, sounding like the fifteen years they were in age.

"I met Matt when I was nine," Keith explained. "I used to go to your house for dinner. I think you were... Five? Six? I met your parents, you, Bebe... You haven't changed much."

Keith stood up, stretching.

"Then, why aren't you worried about my brother? My father?" Pidge stood up, face flushing in anger. "They all went on the mission together! Why aren't you concerned? If you knew my family-"

"I owe your brother a lot, Pidge." Keith glared them down, not backing down at all. "All I knew was that last night, something was going to happen out there. I planted those bombs days ago in case they were needed. I thought Shiro was gone, that he had died, that your brother and father were dead. It's not that I don't care about Matt, but Shiro is here now. Someone from the family that I had finally came home... I just happened to be at the right place at the right time last night."

Pidge -  _Katie?!_ \- slowly nodded, sitting back down.

"Okay..."

"I'll be back with Shiro."

With that, Keith left and Pidge was left to suffer under the gazes of their team.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Katie?!" Hunk asked. Pidge turned to him, eyes burning.

"Don't call me that."

Lance hummed, leaning his head back and stretching. "You sneaked into the Garrison as Pidge Gunderson. I'm pretty sure that Iverson would have recognized you, since you must've met him once."

"I cut all my hair, and I don't like the name Katie anyway."

Hunk nodded, apologizing with, "We can still call you Pidge, but I just want to know why you didn't tell us. You saw Lance and me sneak out. Well, I followed, but it isn't the first time. We're a team! We could help you find out what you need to know."

"I know that now," Pidge groaned, taking off their glasses and rubbing their eyes, "but I don't need anyone to figure out what happened. I'm so much faster on my own and I'm sorry, but your decryption skills are lacking, both of you."

"Could you have gotten Shiro out of there alone, Pidge?" Lance didn't bother to look over at the youngest team member. "Shiro might know what happened to your family. Do you really think that the Garrison would give you access to him? You're a cadet, and worse, you're Pidge Holt, family of the crew. You'd be the worst person to get involved because you're young, they don't respect you, and I'm guessing you've given Iverson trouble before because they would have invited you to join the Garrison with your family's reputation and your brains.

"Sorry to say, Pidge, but you can't do it alone."

Pidge puffed out their chest, eyebrows furrowed and mouth open to counter, but Lance continued, "We'll help you find your family, Pidge. I just wish you had told us sooner so you didn't have to feel so much of this stress on your own."

Hunk nodded, holding out his arms to Pidge, who readily climbed into the embrace which Lance soon joined.

"Why can't your mind be put towards something more productive, Lance? Numbers, engineering, something else besides people?"

"Don't hate it, Pidge. Someone has to be the cheerleader of our team, especially if we're going to be with Shiro and Keith." Lance pulled away from the hug, frowning. "Shiro is great, but Keith will suck out the happiness of any room. This compels me to be our ray of sunshine! I can't do that if I only have a boner for science like you."

The three of them laughed, as though nothing had changed.

* * *

The sun was here. It was in front of him, along with the sand of the Sonoran Desert. Everything was almost as Shiro has left it, but it hurt. Nothing could compare to the darkness of a cell or the pain of the warrior tattoo on the inside of his arm, yet the world hadn't stopped to consider that he might need to be welcomed a bit more gently than waking up in Keith's home to hot chocolate and a beautiful sunrise.

“It’s good to have you back.” Shiro turned his head, watching as Keith approached him.

“It’s good to be back.” Shiro placed his new hand over Keith’s. It was a novel experience, just touching his friend’s hand. He could sense it, feel it, knew that it was soft.

There was no heat there. It simply was.

“How did you know to come save me?”

“... You’d better take a look at this.”

Shiro followed Keith inside, nodding to the other teenagers there. If he didn’t know any better, he thought that one of them was Lance McClain.

“Whoa.” Shiro looked to where Lance was staring, and Keith had revealed an entire wall of pictures, maps, hastily written sticky notes, ciphers, and half-written ideas. Photographs were taken of machines, caves, abstract carvings of animals, and of the Garrison personnel who had cared to travel out this far into the desert before. Star charts were mapped out various nights. A list of some kind was on the wall, but no one felt the urge to read it at this point. This went beyond what they had seen before in the shack. It was the work of someone obsessed.

“What have you been working on?” Shiro looked at one star chart in particular, spotting Leo.

“I can't explain it, really,” Keith confessed, placing a tender hand on the photograph of a canyon, “After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kind of lost and found myself drawn out to this place. It's like something some energy, was telling me to search.”

“For what?”

“Well, I didn't really know at the time until I stumbled across this area. It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night.

“Then, you showed up.”

Keith looked at Shiro and then back to his wall again. It was too strange and everyone in the room was thinking the same thing: How could Keith had sensed something in the desert and have known to come out, prepared to see whatever,  _or whoever_ , was out there?

Shiro broke the tension.

“I should thank you all for getting me out.” Shiro turned to Lance, holding out his right hand. “Lance, right?”

There was a moment’s hesitation from Lance, and Shiro almost pulled his hand -  _the metal one that hurt hurt hurt so much when they replaced it_ \- back, but Lance grabbed his hand firmly, smiling up at him with a twinkle of pride in his eye. This was definitely the same boy that he had met last year.

“The nervous guy's Hunk,” Lance explained.

“I'm Pidge, Matt's little sister,” the smallest of them all said. Shiro smiled at them.

"It's good to see you again, Pidge. You were still in middle school when I saw you last."

Pidge nodded, biting their lip.

"What happened to my family? Why are you the only one that came back?"

Shiro shook his head.

"My memories are all kind of- They're almost all out of order. The only thing I remember clearly is Voltron. It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do."

"Well, last night, I was rummaging through Pidge's stuff, and I found this picture. Is this your brother?"

"That's Matt, yeah... Wait, what were you doing in my stuff?"

"I was looking for a candy bar. But, then, I started reading your diary."

"What?!"

"I noticed the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for -looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line."

"Frown who?" Keith stepped forward, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element, only, this element doesn't exist on Earth. I thought it might be this Voltron. I think can build a machine to look for it, like a Voltron Geiger counter."

"Hunk, you big, gassy genius!"

"It's pretty fascinating, really. The wavelength looks like this."

"Give me that!" Hunk handed the wavelength image that he had charted out over to Keith who scanned over it. He turned and held up the wavelength image to the large photograph of a canyon, the edges of the rocks and cliffs lining up with the Fraunhofer line.

"Okay, that's freaky." Everyone could agree with Hunk, shivers going down their spines.

"How do we get out there?" Keith turned to Shiro.

"I have a neighbor just a mile away. She could take us out there."

"Keith, you want us without a way back?" Lance crossed his arms, frowning.

"I want someone to know that we're out there," Keith countered, "If we take my dad's pick-up, no one will know we're out there. What if something happens?"

"I agree with Keith," Pidge chirped. "It'd be better. Maybe we could get help from the Garrison-"

"I wouldn't trust them on this, Pidge." Shiro shook his head, trying to word his argument well. "With how they were acting last night, I don't think they'll take us seriously unless we come back with definitive proof."

Keith reached over on his counter, grabbing what looked like a large square satchel bag. Lance was about ask what it was before Keith opened its flap and pulling out a handheld receiver.

"What the Hell is that?"

"Long-range phone-radio." Keith punched in some buttons and a tone chirped out. "It'll connect to her, wherever in the Sam Hill she is."

Shiro laughed at Keith's words.

"What?"

"I forgot that your father's from Texas."

Keith blushed, growling out, "It's not my fault I talk that way. It took me forever to get rid of my accent and you make fun of me for it?"

"No, it's just familiar."

「Hello. This is Charlie」 a voice called out from the satchel, a rustling in the background before a small gasp of joy and「Do I have the pleasure of speaking to you today, Ace?」

"Bunny, I'm calling in a favor."

「Sure thing, Ace. Wha'cha need?」

"I need a ride out to-" Keith looked to the canyon's photo, looking at the numbers in the corner. He listed them off to her, and Charlie hummed in acknowledgement.

「Might take me a while. I've been busier than a moth in a mitten.」

"Does she have an estimated time?" Hunk asked. "It might be better if we get out there before it gets too hot."

Keith nodded, calling back, "You hear that, Bun?"

「... I don't know, Ace. I have one more delivery with the Masons, and you know they take up my time. They could piss off the Pope with how far behind they put me.」

"Just do your best, Bunny," Keith reassured her. "Maybe I can get some supplies in the meantime."

「... Give me an hour. If you make me late to any other appointments, I'll tan your hide.」

"Doesn't that make me happier than a dead pig in the sunshine?" Keith said flatly, "We'll be ready."

「Ace, do you have actual people with you?」

Shiro reached out to Keith.

"Hello, ma'am," Shiro greeted once Keith passed him the receiver, "Keith was going to take four of us into the desert, by the canyons."

「Sure thing, sugar. Will y'all be needing a ride back?」

"We're not sure. We'll get a hold of you when we find out more of our plans."

「Okay, sugar. Take care of Ace while you are out there. He's too proud to ask for help.」 Keith sighed, and everyone smiled. This was obviously a concern that Charlie had held for a long time.

"Charlie-"

「Ace, if you were as stuck-up as you are proud, you'd drown in a rainstorm. Be good- Oh, thank Lord, Bubba Mason is on duty today. I'll see you in an hour!」

"See you then." Keith took the receiver and turned off the phone-radio. He looked at it and his communication equipment. "If you can use my equipment for your Geiger counter, Hunk, go for it."

"You sure?"

"It's old. I need to find out what was trying to communicate with us, anyway." Keith shrugged, "I have my tool kit under the table. Go for it. Maybe I can get us some supplies real quick."

Pidge and Hunk got to work, quickly dismantling much of Keith's equipment for parts. Shiro went to go lie down, body still tired from the events of last night.

"Can I help you out?" Lance offered, wanting to be useful.

"Come with me to town. We can carry quite a bit between the both of us, but it can't be too much."

"Okay," Lance agreed. He called to Pidge and Hunk. "You guys want anything? Preferably small."

"Peanut butter cookies!"

"Granola bars and water bottles."

Keith nodded, grabbing a different satchel. Lance saw some money in one of the pockets and wondered how Keith was even surviving out here.

"Would Shiro want anything?" Lance asked.

At the same time, Keith and Shiro both said "Pocky." Shiro nodded and covered himself with his blanket. He seemed to fall asleep the moment that his head hit the pillow, but he mentioned something about a match. Lance looked to Keith, eyebrows raised.

"He has a sweet tooth, and he only eats the  _matcha_  kind," Keith explained. 

"You never complained when I'd bring some home when you were little," Shiro called out.

"You only ever bought the  _matcha_ , you monster. Some people actually try variety." Keith frowned and beckoned Lance to follow. He called back, "We'll be back in a half hour."

* * *

Soon, they were in Charlie's truck, with Pidge and Shiro riding in the cab with Charlie. Hunk, Lance, and Keith were sitting right behind the cab, covering their mouths to keep from inhaling the dust that the truck was picking up. Hunk and Lance huddled up next to each other while Keith leaned back, facing the sky and closing his eyes against the dust. The trip wasn't too long, but it didn't stop Pidge from falling asleep in the cab, leaving Charlie and Shiro a quiet environment to speak.

"So you're the person that Ace is always talking about."

"I guess," Shiro confessed, "but I don't think I've ever met you."

"If Keith ever talked about me, he might have introduced me as Charlotte," Charlie explained, humming a bit. "We were both in foster care together."

Shiro looked around the dashboard, and he found one picture of Keith, looking younger than he did when he and Shiro had met, and Charlie posing for the cameraman.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Charlie."

"And it's nice to meet someone that Keith talks positively about," she confessed, looking off of the path to look at Shiro for a moment, "though I wish it had been before you disappeared, sir."

"... Well, we're meeting now."

Charlie sighed, "Thank God for that. Just take care of him, Mr. Shirogane. He doesn't talk to me anymore."

* * *

When they finally reached the coordinates, they all hurried out of the truck. They all thanked Charlie, with Shiro and Keith staying behind for just a moment.

"Take good care of him, sir," Charlie warned, "If you hurt him, I'll get on you in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

"Of course, Charlie."

The woman turned to Keith. Shiro watched as they both reached out a hand to each other. They looked nothing like the kids in the photo, where they had posed and had been smiling. Keith had looked so young, and Charlie had been hugging him tightly. Now, Keith and Charlie just shook hands, a smile of longing of Charlie's face. Keith's face looked... almost nauseated.

"Take care of yourself, Ace."

"... You too, Charlotte." Keith pulled back his hand, handshake over. Shiro gritted his teeth slightly, wondering what had happened to Keith in the past year to become so closed off again. With that, Charlie put her truck in reverse, ready to drive back to her day's duties.

Keith handed out some supplies, everyone getting some water before heading out into the canyon. Lance smiled, nudging Keith's arm.

"How long have you known that pretty lady?"

"I've known Charlie and her wife since I was ten." Keith handed Lance his water bottle, Lance whistling.

"Her wife's a lucky lady."

Pidge sighed, shaking their head. Hunk grabbed the Geiger counter hooked up to the amplified receiver that they had made, and the group made their way into the canyon.

* * *

"Whoa."

Lance felt an energy in his chest, waves of warmth washing through him and offering to pull him under. It was kind, soft, and it felt like his mother's hugs. The Blue Lion in front of them looked like the cave carvings that they had seen before, but this creature - it was too alive to be anything like an inanimate weapon - was warm. It purred sweetly to him, drawing him close.

"Lance? Be careful!"

What was Hunk saying? The Lion was even bending down and welcoming him, opening its - her mouth and inviting him inside.

" _My Paladin_ ," she purred. " _You've come_."

"I'm here. I'm here!," he whispered, trying to handle the wave of desperate happiness that hit him. Tears pricked at his eyes, and Keith was trying to calm him down. Oh, yeah, Keith had come to the Lion with him.

"Breathe, Lance."

" _Breathe, my little one_ ," the Lion cooed, pressing her consciousness to his. Lance nodded and hurried inside, coming to the Lion's seat.

His seat.

Where he belonged, with his hands on the controls and everyone behind him.

"All right, let's see what this baby can do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pidge is going to go by "they/them" during most of this fic.  
> *Keith - It would make sense if he spoke Spanish. That's it.  
> *Taka-chan and Ko-chan: "Chan" is only used between people who have known each other for a long time or who are of the same gender. Otherwise, using this for someone, especially adults, only known for a short period of time, can be seen as offensive. (courtesy of Wikipedia)  
> **Keith just shortened Shiro's first name, Takashi, and Shiro uses the first character in Keith's surname, Kogane.
> 
> *Charlie and her wife Lucy are a bigger part of other stories in the series "Mariposa", "Red Flax", and "Oiwa", which are backstories for Keith and Shiro. Right now, the only one that is currently being updated is "Cosmas" (Lance) which has more to do with what is currently going on (Season 1 Episodes 1-3).


End file.
